The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Chapter of Bradley, run by Bradley students, created a SHPE Jr. Chapter at Manual Academy with Mrs. Daly as their sponsor. The chapter has worked every Thursday of the school year with students from Manual Academy from 2:30 to 4:30. The students have worked on projects such as the cardboard boat regatta, Bradley Bridge Building competition, leadership skills, interview skills, inquiry skills, and now they have designed a STEM based project for the greenhouse and the Manual Academy Community Garden. The students broke up into two teams and each did research and created a design for planting in the greenhouse and garden. The two groups came up with completely different plans! The idea was to be green (no waste and the ability to reuse materials) as well as recycle materials people throw away. Group 1 rescued wooden pallets, had two-liter bottles donated, and created a vertical garden! Group 2 purchased PVC piping and drilled holes in the top. The PVC piping will serve as a hydroponics garden! The water will be wicked up into the solo cups where the seeds are planted, therefore the plant only gets the water it needs. The students will be measuring growth, soil moisture, soil pH, and CO2 levels in the green house using the Vernier probes and comparing and analyzing data of both growth sets! The pallets will be brought right out to the garden where the plants will continue to grow. The PVC piping will be kept in the greenhouse, but will be used to start the bigger plants which will be transplanted in the community garden. I am very very proud of the hard work, thought process, and commitment of the Bradley students as well as the 20 students from Manual who have worked extremely hard all year. Mrs. Daly Science Teacher
